EMERGENCY services have issued severe warnings after a hoax call was made about one of Kent's danger black spots.

A 999 call was made on Wednesday, Sepetember 6, at around 2am, reporting a "serious traffic accident" on the A228 at Grain, near Rochester.

Several police cars, two fire engines and an ambulance were on the scene shortly afterwards but they soon discovered there was no emergency and the call had been a hoax.

It is thought that there was a full-scale response because of the history of the road, where 34 fatalities have taken place over the last 20 years.

Kent Fire and Rescue and Medway Police have both condemned the hoaxers, saying the response was an unnecessary waste of time, money and precious resources.

A spokesman for Medway Police said: “Clearly there were a number of emergency services committed to this call. Should a genuine incident have occurred at the same time, those resources would not have been available. This could have resulted in dire consequences.

John Pereira, head of community safety for Kent Fire and Rescue, said: “People may think it is harmless fun but it is certainly not. Hoax calls waste firefighters’ time and represent a huge drain on resources. They have the potential to divert attendance from genuine incidents where people’s lives may be at risk.